Eureka Loses in Four to MUW, Three to Westminster

FULTON, Mo. – The Eureka volleyball completed a full week of competition with a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tri-match at Westminster on Saturday.

The Red Devils opened the day with a hard-fought, four-set loss against Mississippi University for Women, then fell in three against the hosting Blue Jays.

Match 1: MUW 3, Eureka 1

Eureka got off to a good start on Saturday, taking the first set with a rather dominant 25-13 victory. The Red Devils hit .333 with 10 kills and zero hitting errors.

The team struggled to replicate that efficiency the rest of the way, though. The Owls came back with a 25-17 win over the Red Devils in Set 2.

The following set was the closest of the match. It was a back-and-forth affair, and the maroon and gold reached set point first at 24-23. However, MUW answered to make it 24-24, and after the Red Devils reached set point again with a kill by Madison Richards (Princeton, Ill./Princeton), the Owls scored three straight points to earn a 27-25 win and a 2-1 advantage in the match.

MUW then used a 7-0 run midway through the fourth set to build a double-digit lead. The Red Devils finished strong, taking four of the last six points, but the Owls held on, 25-19.

Eureka's Alexis Charlton (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) racked up a season-high 13 kills while hitting a season-best .310 and coming up with 14 digs. Payton Florine (Galesburg, Ill./Abingdon-Avon/Lincoln) followed with nine kills while tallying a team-high 18 digs.

Brittney Mekelburg (Johnstown, Colo./Roosevelt/St. Andrew's) and Richards added six and five kills, respectively. Setters Hope McGinnes (Mackinaw, Ill./Deer Creek-Mackinaw/Lincoln) and Sara Hart (Secor, Ill./Eureka) combined for 29 assists.

Match 2: Westminster 3, Eureka 0

The Red Devils never quite found their groove in the second match of the day. They got a little closer on the scoreboard with each set, but the Blue Jays maintained control throughout the match.

The final scores were 25-11, 25-13, 25-15.

Westminster's Malena Bixby racked up a match-high 11 kills while hitting .409. Kylie Hasselbacher hit .727 and finished with eight kills.

For Eureka, Florine notched a team-high six kills. Sadie Crafton (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) hit a team-best .667, putting down four balls on six swings with no errors.

Up Next

Eureka (2-11, 1-7 SLIAC) will next host Principia (0-15, 0-0 SLIAC) at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Red Devils previously swept the Panthers on Sept. 23.